1. How fast will it go? Sustained speeds of over 220mph are possible in comparable technology. Some trains in Europe have been tested at up to 360mph, but don’t expect that here.
   
2. How long will it take to travel? Some sample routes and times provided are as follows: Sacramento to Los Angeles in 2hrs 17min, Burbank to San Francisco in less than 2hrs 35min, San Francisco to San Jose in 30min, etc.
3. How many trains will run? I can’t find a number, but due to the advanced signalling system, there is a minimum delay between trains of only three minutes.
4. What is the total length? The total length is estimated to be 800 miles. It starts in Sacramento and will go all the way to San Diego, with stops in the Bay Area and Central California cities.
5. How many stops? Eventually a total of 26 stops are planned. Phase I of the train project is the corridor between San Francisco Transbay Terminal and Los Angeles Union Station and Anaheim. By the end of the project, the system will have stops in Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Fresno, Visalia, Bakersfield, Palmdale, Sylmar, Burbank, Los Angeles, City of Industry, Ontario Airport, UC Riverside, Murrietta, Escondido, University City, San Diego, San Francisco, SFO Airport, Palo Alto, San Jose, Gilroy, Norwalk, Anaheim & Irvine.
6. What will the fare be? Pricing will most likely be based on distance traveled and was originally expected to be half of current airfair rates. Fares may also vary depending on peak times.
7. How many passengers? Various configurations are possible with a maximum estimated at 1,300 people on a single train. If more space is needed, or to make room for other amenities, approximately 950 passengers can be handled.
8. What can you do on the train? Seat belts will not be required and passengers will be able to get up and walk around. Snacks and beverages will be available at a cafe and laptops can be used at any time. There is also an expectation of young family play areas and “quiet cars” where cell phones would be prohibited. The trains may also be equipped with tables, power jacks, cell phone service and audio/video entertainment.
9. When will construction begin? The project will supposedly begin in 2011, but the pre-construction activites have been going on over the past 12 years. Planners expect the High Speed Rail system to carry up to 117 million passengers annually by 2030.
10. Are there other High Speed Trains in the US? No, California will be the first. There are similar systems in Asia and Euope that have been running for as long as 40 years. There have been several failed attempts at implementing High Speed Rail systems in California and the United States since the 1980s.

Monica

Along with Monica’s hypothetical situation, is the reverse… if a married man underwent gender reassignment surgery, would the two women remain married? And what if a gay man and a gay woman married each other? To further complicate the issue is the fact that there can not only be a marriage of people, but a marriage of ideas, or even two unrelated things such as the marriage of painting and music.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition does include one instance of a union between two people of the opposite sex; however it follows that up with “recognized by law.” Nowhere in the definition does it include anything about religion. Why? Because you don’t need to be religious or be a member of a church to get married.

If you want a religious ceremony and to be married in the eyes of the church, then that is your right. My wife and I didn’t want to & that’s why we were married by a judge in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. Our marriage is just as valid as someone’s that took place in a church. There is a separation of church and state that verifies the fact that a legal marriage is not a religious union in the United States.

There are too many flaws in Proposition 8 and that belief for it not to be overturned. Any other argument, i.e. education, is nothing more than discrimination and intolerance. Remove the religious element and you are just a bigot.

Perhaps more hurtful, but less surprising, is that Arkansas has banned gay couples from adopting in addition to the other three states that banned gay marriage. This is simply legalized discrimination, and nothing more. I don’t know which is more telling, the proposition and those who supported it, or the backers and the people who followed them…

I found out yesterday, after it was too late to put the word out here and elsewhere, that two of the largest backers of Proposition 8, aside from members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, were Elsa Broekhuizen and Howard F. Ahmanson Jr. Who are these people? If you’re like me, you’ve never heard of them, but upon further investigation, they’re not exactly people I think should be in any position drafting civil rights law.

Elsa Broekhuizen is the mother of Blackwater USA founder, Erik Prince. As you may know Blackwater is that mercenary company operating in Iraq with questionable tactics. Their infamous history includes over a billion dollars in government contracts and have been named in a number of illegal activities.

As for Howard F. Ahmanson Jr., he is a recluse who inherited $300,000,000 from his father (founder of Washington Mutual) and has been quoted as saying, “My goal is total integration of biblical law into our lives.” Ahmanson follows the teachings of R.J. Rushdoony, which provides a list of those deserving of exocution, including disobedient children, unchaste women, apostates, blasphemers, practitioners of witchcraft, astrologers, adulterers, and, of course, anyone who engaged in “sodomy or homosexuality.” Did I mention that he has also spent time in a mental institution for Schizophrenia & has Tourette’s syndrome?

While they may not be the reason why Proposition 8 passed, it is curious as to how they remained under the radar and how their involvement, if made public, would have had an impact. The thing to focus on is what the next step is. I’m sure this will be tied up in litigation of some form or another for quite some time and will be challenged repeatedly. The fact remains that, based on poll numbers, Californian’s have gained a fair amount of tolerance over the past several years. And that is a good thing.

Now, we await the results of the local elections…

There has been a lot of coverage on the news about early voters, whether they’ve mailed in their absentee ballots, or went directly to the Sacramento County Elections Office. I’ve been curious as to the actual numbers and I finally have a tally, thanks to KCRA.

Around 300,000 absentee ballots were sent out to Sacramento County voters and more than half have been returned so far. That 150,000 makes up 25% of the county’s voters. Compare that to 38% of voters in El Dorado County and 41% of Placer County voters. For Sacramento County, this stands to be the largest voter turnout in recorded history!

As much as I hate this process because of how long it drags on and how much money is spent that could go toward much better things, I am completely addicted. It’s history in the making and I want to be a part of it! I’ve debated on various sites, I’ve donated my time and energy towards causes and people I believe in and I’m aware that it probably had little to no affect. Many peoples’ opinions are impossible to sway, but I am compelled to try. I cannot sit idly by and do nothing.

After the 2000 election, I was upset. I thought we were robbed. Many people said that we got what we deserved. I didn’t agree, but we got something for sure! In 2004, I was furious! I couldn’t believe what had happened and that so many people allowed this to happen. I am convinced that John Kerry’s lack of a spine is what cost us that election. After being let down two elections in a row, I was determined to get involved. I wanted to help fight the rumors. Fortunately, here we are in 2008, with a candidate who isn’t taking this year’s swiftboaters’ shit. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a position where I could physically help the campaign.

This is a large part of why I started this blog, to voice my true feelings on issues that are important to me, and to do a little ranting and raving. I just wish I could have started it sooner; if not to reach a few people who stumble across it, then to have a place to compile my thoughts and arguments.

So, here I am, typing a post while flipping tabs back to msnbc.com, cnn.com and digg.com for any breaking news. It’s going to be a long day…

Those against Proposition 8 want equality. That’s it.

The Yes on 8 crowd is afraid that their children will be corrupted by beliefs not similar to their own. They wish to restrict their childrens’ education, but expand their intolerance toward others. They cite specific examples and twist the issues to push their stance that gay people should not be afforded the same rights that they, themselves, may have fought for years ago.

It is true that the government dictated who could and could not marry, vote, or simply be free. As times change, so do the laws. The discrimination of the past is the discrimination of the present. The acceptance of that discrimination is what has changed. Interracial marriages are common, women have the right to vote, we no longer have internment camps or slavery. Times change and so have our views on what was once and still is, to some degree, considered a deviant lifestyle. It is no more deviant than the acts anybody else performs in the privacy of their own bedroom. However, this “lifestyle” is not about sex. It is “life” for many.

The term “traditional” is the cornerstone of the argument in support of Proposition 8. What does traditional mean and how has it changed over the years? At one time, it was tradition, or taught from one generation to the next, that there were witches that needed to be stoned, drowned, or burned at the stake. Many traditions are based on irrational fears that can be changed. Societies advance and progress, and that is what the Proposition 8 supporters are wishing to deny the rest of society.

How it will affect the next generation is one of their main concerns, and they display their hate plainly for all to see with their ads showing a gay marriage in San Francisco. Need I remind you that we are in California. Students in California need parents’ permission to attend field trips such as the one in San Francisco. The school did not force these students to attend a gay marriage. It was also in very poor taste to use video of those students as propaganda without their permission, or that of their parents.

Another fear tactic involving children and education is the insistence that what, if anything, has happened in Massachusetts will happen in California. This is purely speculation and is absolutely not based in fact. It is consistently brought up because there are no other cases that can be used as an example here in California. The children attending the gay marriage were not forced to. California students are not forced to attend lessons regarding sex, or marriage. And many students simply won’t care.

Children are innocent and to teach them hate, intolerance and discrimination at such a young age is a form of child abuse. It’s sad to see so many children used by the Proposition 8 supporters in their campaign and demonstrations. Those children were innocent until their parents forced their beliefs onto them. We are not born with hate and intolerance.

So, who are the people behind Proposition 8? Members of the Mormon Church are the leading backers. Some say it is to gain recognition. Some say it is to appease the Evangelical Christians. Either way, it appears their main concern is to raise membership. If they can get in the good graces of more main stream religious movements and remove themselves of their cult status, they need to show they can walk the walk and fight the fight. Not all Mormons support Proposition 8, but members of the Church of Latter Day Saints have made between 40% and 70% of the contributions.

Fortunately, at least one church leader is speaking out against Proposition 8. Reverend Joe Baytzim, from Orange, CA, has pointed out the Mormon connection, but has taken it further on his web site. He is urging other Christians to vote “no” on Proposition 8. On his site, Rev. Baytzim provides a large quote from a Mormon blog which speaks of the issue as a I mentioned – a recruitment and acceptance tool, as evidenced by the following:

In any case, after this election is over, and our coalition partners have settled back into their daily lives, we’ll be going back to our work of converting Christians to Mormon beliefs, and we are counting on the attention and recognition we’ve earned through our efforts on behalf of Prop 8 to significantly boost our church’s appeal to socially conservative Californians.

This issue is not new, nor is it going to end after this election. Each religious movement will continue to push their agenda and contribute to various campaigns to see that their views are more socially acceptable. Which leads to my final point in addressing many of the Yes on Proposition 8 fallacies. The supporters often point out that 61% of Californians support traditional marriage. This is simply not true. This statistic refers to Proposition 22 from 2000, which won with 61% of the vote; however, only 30% of registered Californian voters voted. This year, thanks to a vital Presidential election, the turnout should be much higher. The publicity and funding for Proposition 8 is also extremely high.

Proposition 8 needs a majority of the votes to pass. It sure is a testament to our times how close it’s been. It’s also showing peoples’ true colors. Either you support discrimination, or you don’t. It is that simple. Which side of history will you be on?

If you experience anything questionable during your voting experience, such as unfair treatment from poll workers, harassment from other voters, indimidation in any fashion, or if your vote switches or is not registered, please take action. Here are some resources and suggestions that can help you help the country get back on the path to fair elections.

Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (which is 866-687-8683) or email help@866ourvote.org

California’s Secretary of State web site has some resources available here. To contact the Election Fraud Investigation Unit, please call (916) 657-2166 or you can lodge a recorded complaint by calling 1-800-345-VOTE.

Obama’s site has a form and hotline available here. Please call the voter protection hotline at 1-877-US-4-OBAMA (1-877-874-6226) for help.